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Under the shadow of maternity : birth, death and puerperal insanity in Victorian Britain
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Marland, H.. (2012) Under the shadow of maternity : birth, death and puerperal insanity in Victorian Britain. History of Psychiatry, Vol.23 (No.1). pp. 78-90. ISSN 0957-154X
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0957154X11428573
Abstract
Death and fear of death in cases of puerperal insanity can be linked to a much broader set of anxieties surrounding childbirth in Victorian Britain. Compared with other forms of mental affliction, puerperal insanity was known for its good prognosis, with many women recovering over the course of several months. Even so, a significant number of deaths were associated with the disorder, and a large proportion of sufferers struggled with urges to destroy their infants and themselves. The disorder evoked powerful delusions concerning death, with patients expressing intimations of mortality and longing for death.
| Item Type: | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | D History General and Old World > D History (General) |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Arts > History |
| Journal or Publication Title: | History of Psychiatry |
| Publisher: | Sage Publications Ltd. |
| ISSN: | 0957-154X |
| Date: | March 2012 |
| Volume: | Vol.23 |
| Number: | No.1 |
| Page Range: | pp. 78-90 |
| Identification Number: | 10.1177/0957154X11428573 |
| Status: | Peer Reviewed |
| Publication Status: | Published |
| Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access |
| URI: | http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/44844 |
Data sourced from Thomson Reuters' Web of Knowledge
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